YES! Finally, yesterday afternoon and evening, the rains came to the eastern Algarve. Apart from one drizzly morning, it’s been a while. Since the early summer in fact. OK, they’ve gone again, and the sun is shining brightly through patchy clouds right now, but it was a refreshing change.

Did we run in the rain (in the dark)? You bet we did? Did we swim in the rain? Of course!

Being wet in the night is somehow kewl!

And after that, a warm threesome, as you might expect from three gay devoted friends.

We’re also planning for an icy dip. Not in snow, as we are hardly likely to see that on the Portuguese coast! But its clear that lots of the Russians who come here for vacation also enjoy the winter ice swims…

…and they do it in the dark as well! But it’s the ice bath following training that they have been asking for. And post-sauna too. There’s a plunge pool but that is part of the general pool-water circulation system which is relatively warm in the summer and moderately heated now. So the choice of a wheely bin full of ice water to duck into was the only option, and we didn’t really have the means to make the ice anyway. So a new installation is about to start, of a refrigerated tank holding about four people, next to the sauna but outdoors, and an industrial ice-making machine to produce actually ice cubes to add to it. All this to be done while half the camp closes down for maintenance (the ‘adult half’ first) and, since it’s a “fitness” installation, it’s down to us to manage it.

Here’s another shirtless guy exercising in the snow (it’s a great feeling, so long as you’re properly warmed up, especially when the sun pokes through):

There is, however, a problem to closing down half of the site. We hadn’t realised, until recently, that there are a few guests who seem to have taken up residence almost permanently, which they’re perfectly entitled to do so long as they have the money and the free time (and Russian oligarchs have both!). Problem is, they’ve equipped their apartments in such a ‘personal’ way that they don’t wish to move to an apartment in the ‘other half’ – in fact they are aggressively refusing to do so. This is not our issue to resolve, but management seems bemused. A similar problem will arise when the plan to temporarily close the ‘other half’ in January arrives, as there are semi-permanent couples in residence there, too.

This is going to be a problem since a work team is set to move in to do a degree of ‘snagging’ in one half and then the other – a bit of re-painting and re-plastering, a small rodent problem in one block, changing the course of some drains… all that sort of stuff, some of which will mean isolating services and which is better done in a proper ‘work’ site with the guests elsewhere. We’ll have to see how ‘management’ get to grips with that. They’re pretty good at most things, but a bit hapless sometimes!

Hmmm! Meanwhile, “In Other News”…

We’ve missed Thanksgiving with our ‘family’ (kids and their mums) for the first time ever. This is a festivity which we Brits have never really come to terms with, but we miss the kids – obviously. So we’ll be back with them in TN for Christmas, along with Dave’s parents but not mine, whom we’ll see in UK on the way. The lower level of guests here allows us some time out, although Christmas itself may be busy, but the Portuguese staff have told us they’ll be happy to work through the holiday, which is very kind of them.

Maybe a little early for Christmas pics, but here’s a greeting that applies equally on Black Friday (today) or any other time! No Black Friday discount on the new book, I’m afraid… but they’re all fantastic value in terms of words per dollar/euro/pound, so maybe give ’em a whirl for your Christmas gifts…?

Click on the covers for a link, and there are e-versions of all four of them available (if you must…!)

And now for some different entertainment:

Guys in groups, sharing things they like to do. As do we – we’re currently a threesome until we all fly back together to TN for Christmas when we Tuan Jie folk will be having a grand reunion. Via Oxford UK, where my mum has never really understood me (us!). ‘Where shall I put your friend Zach for the night, if you and Dave are, er…?’ A couple. Exactly. But a couple who shares with 8 other guys, and he’s one. Oh, never mind…

Some more lads enjoying the snow, to finish. Hope you enjoy too.

And all in their knickers, too. Sorry, mum…

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About tonycavanagh

Born Northampton UK; school Oxford UK and Oak Ridge Tennessee, where I met my wonderful partner Dave, also from UK. Oak Ridge is our main training base for acrobatics and circus stuff, but we also established a base in Wales (UK) to serve us when we are working in Europe. Our 'story', of finding gay love, learning the acrobatics trade and then of how we got shot at during our show (and worse was to follow - just to prove that the risks of being an acrobat are not always the most obvious ones!) are now available in my three books 'Loving the Boy', 'The Power of Love' and 'Against All Odds'. Links available on most blog posts. Actually, waiting for the imminent arrival of the first printed copies was far scarier than anything we do in performance. A fourth book - not about us but exploring the sadness of a gay Native American boy denied his true identity - is currently with an agent for evaluation. watch for 'Let The Future Find Me' in due time. And now to book five... another boy, another quest... seems its always boys...